We received word this week that our dear friend, former moderator of r/GenderCritical, and Ovarit visionary /u/heidischallenge has passed away. We recognize and honor Heidi for her determination, her bravery, her wicked smarts, her humor, and her kindness and compassion towards us and our users. If you are a Reddit refugee, as many of us are, you were probably fortunate enough to talk to Heidi at one time or another. She had a gift for connecting with members of our community and for building sisterhood, and she had a core of absolute steel. When we were banned from Reddit, she was one of the first to insist that we were not going to go away and lick our wounds but would instead rise again stronger and better than ever. It is to her grit, her passion for women's rights, and her sheer stubbornness that we owe much of the success of this project. She will be so, so missed.

We wanted to take this post as an opportunity not only to inform the community but to share our thoughts of our beautiful friend, and allow you all to share stories and memories also. Out of respect for her privacy and her family, we will not be discussing the circumstances of her passing and we ask that you all do not do so, either. It is imperative that we not share any information that could potentially dox her.

/u/girl_undone: Heidi was a great friend and I feel lucky that I knew her. We never got to meet in person but she had a way of understanding me like a kindred spirit. She helped me through so many personal trials and saved me from a great amount of hurt with her advice and wisdom. We always joked about taking a break and going on a vacation and I wish we could have made it happen. Heidi was a force in the feminist movement. All of us who ever benefited from Ovarit, r/GenderCritical, or any of the other communities she moderated or assisted with benefited from her work and spirit. She cared deeply about women’s rights and for the women who needed these communities. When she was asked to help as a moderator of r/GC she stepped up as a leader and took ownership for getting things done with the team. She dove into the details, figured out what needed to happen, followed through, and made things work. Her pragmatism, drive, and sense of humor helped steer the team and keep us going. Her loss is felt by many people and my heart goes out to her family and friends. The world lost a very special woman.

/u/Ruby: The pandemic is hard on all of us, for many different reasons, but it was especially hard on Heidi. She was always a strong, kind, and generous woman. Thoughtful and smart, carrying so much on her shoulders yet still expressing compassion and care for those who needed it. For a long time I believed that once things started going back to normal, she’d see sunlight and friends and feel hope and joy again. That she would be back and we’d be stronger than ever. Resilient and fortified, like Heidi. I never imagined she wouldn’t survive this period. I hope the rest of us do. Losing one woman is unbearable. Losing a woman like Heidi is devastating. Heidi, I hope your rest is soothing. I hope you’ve found peace. I hope you know your spirit will always live inside our code, inside our highest aspirations, and in the heart of the community you helped build here. Thank you, love you, and goodbye, dear sister.

/u/womenopausal: HeidisChallenge was the first member of r/GenderCritical whose face I saw. She was the one who gave me the orientation I needed to be a mod. And then, when the banhammering happened, it felt she was the one who pulled us back on our feet, and made it clear that we weren't going to just disappear. And it wasn't just her determination that was important: she was practical, organised, focused, one of the forces pulling us towards our destination at Ovarit. Over time, due to problems in her own life, she drifted away from the work we are doing here, but we always missed her. She was smart, kind and a feminist to her core. Today, I'm thinking of the huge loss to her family, who she loved fiercely, as well as to our feminist community. I hope she knew how much we valued her.

Former r/GenderCritical moderator /u/angrytardis: Heidi and I never met, except via Facetime. Australia and America are very far apart but our conversations made it clear our experiences were universal. Being boring old hetero women who had also had children was a bit of a huge bond. Our kids are the same age. Her gender critical community reminded her how strong she was and how strong she needed to be in the face of identity politics and boundary issues. She was extra-ordinarily spiritual, hard working and generous with her time, thoughtfulness and compassion. Heidi was wise AND educated; it's hard to achieve both in a lifetime. I hope she went gently. Her family have lost something rare and precious. The GC community have lost a powerful voice!

/u/crlody: We both felt like we had never met anyone else with whom we agreed on so much. We had different personalities but we saw the world in the same way on so many different aspects and that is just so rare. I went to her a lot for herbal advice because she knew a lot about that...there's a tea that I still drink because she recommended it. We both got the same daily email from Esther Hicks and we would message each other and say, 'Did you see the email today?' and talk about it.

/u/DontDoxxMe: Heidi was always so sweet to me during my early janny days at r/TrollGC. I had no idea what I was doing really. I had had a few chats with Heidi at r/GenderCritcal and reached out to her for advice on properly modding. She spent a lot of time at r/TrollGC; I remember really enjoying her comments. She could be a bit harsh (lol) when she thought I wasn’t doing a good enough job keeping the crueler users out but I appreciated her thoughts on the subject. I wasn’t friends with her, but I really liked her and am sad. My condolences to you all and her family.